Note: Between my brother being diagnosed with MS, my own stupidity of throwing my back out, and then aggravating it again this weekend, and then having my car break down, well, to say that my posting has been thrown off would be an understatement.
So, in order to catch Fanfic up with Wicky, I've not broken these following chapters apart into separate Word documents, yet.
Each chapter is broken apart with titling, so I think you can get by until I get them broken apart.
Much toda to Jan, who has been holding my hand and sharing seasonings from her writer's kitchen along the way. I think it gives it much better flavor.
And, of course, many, many thanks to all the GG ladies who have been nothing but the best along this journey.
And then, to Bear, who has silently sat and listened to me work the dialogue until I thought it might come close to the characters. He, as well as I, hope that you enjoy the next installment.
CHAPTER 36
Lee eyed his Section Chief carefully but Billy's expression was giving nothing away. Whatever it was, Lee was going to assume, at least according to his gut instinct, that it was nothing good.
Finally, after a lengthy silence, Billy spoke.
"I've been told that when you have something to say, you should just say it," Billy began. "So, I will. Before we came into the meeting, I received a phone call. Smyth didn't make it."
Now, Dr. Smyth had always been a thorn in Lee's side, sometimes a very painful one. The man had caused more than a few headaches for the Scarecrow and, presumably, many more for Melrose.
Lee had complained about him, silently cursed the man, and, at times, wished that he would just pack his bags for the Antarctic, but he had never wished the man this sort of ending.
In fact, Lee had just always assumed that Smyth would be around for an eternity, making everyone's lives miserable and chanting those annoying nursery rhymes until those around him were forced to pop several Tylenol.
"I," Lee began, then stopped realizing that he did not know what to say.
Billy smiled, faintly.
"I know, I'm thinking the same thing. He was annoying, a major pain, but he didn't deserve this. None of us deserve this."
"No," Lee replied in agreement.
"I haven't informed anyone else. Lord knows we don't need any more panic than we've already got. I trust you'll keep this to yourself."
"Billy," Lee said. "You know me better than that."
"Not a soul, not even Amanda."
Lee frowned.
"I don't think she's up to discussions at the moment."
"I'm sorry, son," Billy told him honestly. "I wish I could change it, but I can't."
Lee looked down at the conference table for a few moments, trying to wrap his mind around everything that was happening and still contain his growing anger.
"What can I do to help," Lee asked his boss, his friend.
"Help find out who unleashed this monster, that would be a start. Then, I need your help here. If you haven't already noticed, I'm tired. What I'd like is a few hours sleep, enough to keep me up and running. Francine's down and out of the game completely. I'm not sure that you're holding up much better, but I need you. Out of all of my agents, you're the one that can help the most."
"You know I'm there Billy, you know that."
Billy sighed with relief and then sniffled.
"I take it you've had your appointed visit with Kelford?"
"Yeah, he jabbed me," Lee grinned. "With strict orders to come back to him."
"Well, you follow those orders. I don't need lab work to guess that you've been exposed."
Lee merely nodded, not quite sure how to respond to that one.
"Oh, and by the way, you could tell me when," Billy said.
"When, what?"
Billy shook his head.
"When will you ever learn Scarecrow," Billy asked, wearing a grin as he looked at the younger man.
"I get paid to know things. You think I can't put two plus two together, that I haven't noticed where you've been spending most of your off time? You think I wouldn't notice that ring on your hand? So, I ask you, when?"
Lee glanced down at the ring on his hand. Then, in his mind, he could clearly see the image of Amanda. On their wedding day, the day that he'd pledged his heart and his life to her. The day that he had placed her ring on her hand and she had done the same. The day that she had willingly pledged her heart and her life to him.
A day that had been, until now, almost entirely been kept in secret.
She deserved better than that, Lee realized. Amanda deserved so much more. She didn't deserve to be another victim on what seemed to be an increasingly growing list of victims.
"Lee?"
Billy's voice, softer with concern, speaking as a friend and not his boss, broke through Lee's thoughts.
Lee looked up at him and when he spoke, he found that his own voice was shaking a little.
"In February, Billy. Amanda became my wife in February, right before we," Lee paused, to swallow and to clear his throat. "Right before we flew out to California."
Lee had almost lost her then. He'd prayed and prayed, more than he'd ever done in his entire life and his prayers had been answered. He had not lost Amanda.
But how many times can a man have prayers of that much importance answered?
How many times can one cheat death?
"I can't lose her, Billy," Lee said. "I can't."
"I know," Billy replied to him, his voice clearly showing that he understood. "I know."
CHAPTER 37
Part 1
The boys had enjoyed their lunch and were now sprawled out on a huge blanket near the edge of the lake. Jamie was sprawled out on his stomach, his focus totally on a photography magazine that he was reading.
Phillip was wearing headphones, probably listening to the Bon Jovi cassette that Carrie had bought for him for helping her wash and wax her car the other weekend. He was flipping through an auto magazine and tapping one foot along to the beat of the music.
Occasionally a wisp of a gentle breeze blew off the lake, cooling their heated skin and scenting the air with the floral fragrance of the flowers that grew along the water's edge. The chirping call of the birds flying overhead mixed with the soothing sounds of the lapping lake, creating an idyllic summer afternoon.
Or, at least it might have been idyllic if Joe wasn't suffering from a killer headache that had set in shortly after they had eaten lunch. And, to top it all off his throat was feeling rather scratchy.
And then there was Phillip, who was constantly sneezing and blowing his nose.
Only Jamie seemed unaffected by whatever allergens were in the air.
Joe got up from his chair and, after telling the boys he would be back in a minute, made his way towards the cabin where he knew that Amanda had most certainly packed some Tylenol.
Chapter 37
PART 2
For a brief moment, Lee and Billy just sat there, saying nothing in the silence of the conference room. It was Billy who finally broke that silence.
"Lee, I need PWS forms for both you and Amanda filled out. I figure if anyone can fill hers out with any sense of accuracy, it would be you."
"I can tell you what it should say," Lee spoke quietly. "Four words. Chained to a desk."
"Lee," Billy began but Stetson interrupted him.
"It's true," Lee said as he stood up. "Chained to a desk, that's where I wanted her. That's where I thought she'd be safest."
"You didn't know," Billy said as he watched Lee pace back and forth across the floor of the conference room.
"All I wanted, after California, was for her to be happy and healthy and safe. So I did what I thought was best. I tried to keep her tied down, behind these walls. And she listened to me Billy, just like she listened to me there. I told her to stay in the car; I
forced her to stay inside. I can't be trusted to keep my partner safe, I can't be trusted to keep my wife safe!"
"Lee, calm down," Billy ordered him. "Look man, you had no way of knowing then, you had no way of knowing now. This game we play, this charade, it's dangerous. Life is risky too. You both knew the risks. Life isn't worth living if you don't take some chances. You obviously figured that one out or you would never have made it to the altar in the first place."
Lee ran his hand through his hair.
"Yeah," he murmured.
"Look, go down and sit with her. Fill those forms out. Then, I need you to contact any members of your family that you might have had personal exposure to. We can't leave anything to chance, we've got to account for every move."
"I know," Lee said. "Look, I, uhm, I'll go up to the Q and get my directory. If you need me sooner, I'll be with Amanda."
Billy nodded.
"I understand. Oh, in my office, on my desk. There's a package that came in for you very early this morning. I think from TP."
"Thanks," Lee told him, then turned and headed out of the conference room.
William Melrose watched the younger man leave. It did not matter how many years that he had been in this business; it didn't matter how many times that he had preached the limited emotional connections speech to every freshman agent.
Over the past several years, Billy had formed a special bond with some of his best agents. Maybe it had something to do with him aging and mellowing, as his wife called it. Or, maybe it had to do with the fact that they were good, damned good and he'd been proud of the work that they had accomplished for the Agency.
And somewhere along the way, he had formed an emotional attachment that he couldn't deny it, he would never deny it.
First there had been Lee, followed by Francine, and now Amanda. One by one they had each taken a special place in his heart and he felt responsible for them. Even though the rulebook specifically quoted that he shouldn't, he felt accountable for it all. Accountable for their careers, for their joys and sorrows, and for their very lives.
While the spy handbook had never gone as far as guaranteeing any of it, for any of them, this time around Billy felt that they all deserved that much.
Lee and Amanda deserved to have a happy marriage. Amanda deserved to have her chance to fulfill whatever career dreams she might have. And Francine, well, she deserved the same opportunity as Lee to find that happiness in life that made life worth living.
And, this time around, Billy Melrose wanted whoever had dared to trifle with that guarantee. He wanted them held responsible. He did not take kindly to just snuffing out human life because someone discovered a new method of doing so and felt like playing to see how many soldiers went down.
Billy wanted retribution.
Hell, honestly, he wanted revenge because this time around, for him, it was personal.
CHAPTER 38
Part 1
NOTE:
I've tried really hard to keep this as factual as possible, considering the fact that the Russians altered Y.P. in the first place just so that I could have a plot. If anyone notices anything glaringly horrible, please let me know and I will make adjustments
accordingly.
Thanks so much for your input and kind words. It really does help the writer when you've put together something this large and then take that leap of insanity to share it with others.
Once Lee Stetson had left the conference room, he headed straight for the Q-Bureau. His first order of business had to be business, no matter how much his heart longed to be close to Amanda. He paced nervously while awaiting the elevator, which seemed to have suddenly gained a horribly new record for slow.
Then, once off the elevator, he practically raced up the steps, ignoring the two masked guards who sat in the Georgetown foyer.
He unlocked the door to his office as quickly as possible and then went straight for the vault, where he kept a copy of his directory, a list of contacts and family members that he'd accumulated over the years.
It was only after closing the vault did he stop and take a breath, glancing around at the office that he and Amanda shared.
Their desks were in the same state that they had left them in yesterday, his, as always, a total mess and Amanda's much more organized. A few withering flowers were in the vase on her desk, a half-empty cup of coffee on his.
Lee actually smiled.
In so many ways, they were complete opposites and yet, somehow, they just clicked. His mind took him back to that morning at the train station, when he had just grabbed an unsuspecting Amanda on instinct and pleaded for her help.
From that moment on, neither of their lives had ever been the same. He could never have dreamed that the startled girl whose arm he had grabbed would eventually become the most important person in his life.
He laughed softly as he remembered her annoyance with him, her disapproving looks, and those sighs of exasperation when she was totally disgusted with him. He recalled how perturbed he would get when she went into that ramble mode of hers, his lack of patience with her, and how quickly she had irritated him over absolutely nothing.
Looking back, it seemed as if they had been two different people.
"I guess we were," Lee said to himself.
So much had changed since that morning; they had both changed so much. Lee would like to think for the better, for both of them. He knew his life was better and he thought hers was as well. And now, now they had each other, for better and for worse.
Well, they had certainly seen their fare share of both.
The part regarding for richer and poorer? Well, okay, so they weren't exactly rich but they weren't any worse off than most couples their age. Amanda's practicality balanced his once extravagant tastes, her sense of normality blended with his once exotic lifestyle.
These days Lee Stetson would rather be at home, doing hamburgers on the grill in the backyard and watching a movie with the boys.
And then there was the sickness and health issue. Lee had thought that they'd already cornered the market on that one but apparently he was wrong.
Well, he thought to himself as he closed and locked the office door, he was not about to let the sicker portion win. Oh no, he had waited a lifetime for Amanda, he was not about to let anything, anyone or any disease take that away from them.
It was that determination that carried him back down the flight of stairs and into the slow moving elevator. It was that hope that propelled him, once again, towards the bullpen and it was the gentle reminder of his wife's soft kisses that thrust him into agent mode, enabling him to carry onward with the tasks at hand.
CHAPTER 38
PART 2
Lee's first stop was to see Cheryl, the woman who was handling the PWS forms. He stood off to the side for a few moments, while she patiently gave instructions to several individuals that he recognized as members of the freshman candidate class that Amanda had been subbing for.
When she was finished, she looked up at him and gave him a pleasant, if not a little weary smile.
"Hello," she greeted him.
"Hi," he told her. "I was wondering if I could get some forms from you?"
She swiveled in her chair and picked up several forms to hand to him.
"I assume that you know how to fill these out," she queried in a gentle tone.
Lee nodded.
"I, ah, also have a favor to ask of you."
"Sure," she replied.
He handed her his directory.
"I've got a lot of people to contact but I've also got to fill these out for myself and for Amanda. Then I have to figure out where her sons are on vacation and get in contact with them."
Cheryl nodded, completely understanding.
"And you've also got a lot of other things on your agenda. I know how it is with you agents. And, not to worry, we will take care of it. I've enlisted the aid of many of the freshman candidates. Anything you need, we'll take care of."
"Thanks," Lee told her gratefully.
Cheryl nodded as she took the black notebook from him, then stopped, an odd expression forming on her face.
"I don't mean to pry, Scarecrow, but from the looks of things you've acquired something new and you had best tell me that the person wearing the other ring to match yours is a brunette or else I'm going to be really disappointed in you, young man."
"Oh," Lee said as he looked down at his hand. He'd thought about taking his wedding ring off earlier, after his conversation with Billy, but he seemed to have forgotten all about that plan.
He looked back at Cheryl and smiled.
"And just which little brunette are you referring to?" he asked her, not knowing where the sudden urge to play a bit conspiratorial had come from. "I know a few."
Cheryl made a mockingly disgusted sound at him.
"I don't know how Amanda puts up with you," she said as she placed his book down on the counter of her workstation.
Lee simply smiled.
"She loves me," he told her, surprised at the ease of which the words rolled off his tongue. It actually felt good to say it aloud.
"I've know that for a long time," Cheryl said as she grabbed a pen and a notepad.
"Do I need any recognition codes to contact your people?"
"Just tell them you're calling for Scarecrow and that the egg has broken. You can go from there. I'd, uhm, like for that list to be kept to as few eyes as possible."
"Discretion is my motto," Cheryl told him. "I've got just the team that can handle this for you. Between Jan, Ana, Amy, and myself we can take care of you."
"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Lee told her.
"No problemo, as they say. Now, I know you've got work to do and so do I, so scat. Oh, and young man?"
"Yeah?"
"Congratulations," she told him. "I know how wonderful it is to find someone special and I've been watching you two for quite some time. I'm glad you both came to your senses, finally."
"You never suspected a thing," Lee told her.
Cheryl just winked at him.
"Young man; you'd be surprised what we see around here. Now, get outta my hair, we've got work to do."
Dismissing him politely, she rose from her chair, Lee's black book in hand, and made her way to the group of people that she would entrust Scarecrow's family to.
Lee turned and made his way to Billy's office. He had a package to pick up and then he needed to be with the woman who had claimed his heart.
CHAPTER 39
PART 1
By the time Lee Stetson had made his way through the corridors of the Agency towards the medical section, he had gotten quite used to understanding the muffled voices behind the protective masks of those wearing them. He had not, however, gotten used to the actions of those who shied away from him.
He supposed it was common knowledge of anyone now actually in the building that Amanda was sick, and that, of course, through partnership, made him equally as dangerous to anyone currently healthy. Could he blame them, he thought.
Just by looking at him, they couldn't tell if he was infected. They had no way of knowing that his throat was sore and that he felt as though he had a mild case of the flu. They had no way of knowing that he was already tired, though he wasn't sure if it was because he had been exposed to this plague or if it was because of the lack of sleep from the night before.
Not that it mattered. McJohn had said the disease was curable, if caught early. And, for what it was worth, Lee was going to bet money that the man was right.
Because, if McJohn was wrong, Lee didn't even want to begin contemplating the after shocks that would rock through the intelligence community.
As he turned the corner, Lee heard a commotion. When he rounded the corner fully, he saw what the commotion was about.
One of the freshman candidates was backed up against a wall, her young face clearly full of fear.
"What do you mean I've been exposed to the plague?"
Her loud screeching voice filled the hallway.
"Miss Kerns, please calm down," Kelford was saying to her.
Clearly, the young woman was not having any of it.
"I didn't sign on to be exposed to deadly diseases," she yelled back at him. "To protect the citizens of the United States, yes," she paused to cough. "But not to die before I even have a chance to see what I can do."
"Nobody is going to die," Kelford tried reasoning with her. "Catching it early is vital and if you'll just let me start the antibiotic treatment, you'll be fine in no time."
Traci coughed again.
"We're all going to die," she answered him back. She looked at the crowd of people that had formed in the corridor. "We're all going to die and nobody's going to do a thing about it. The government will do a cover story, nobody will know why."
Kelford tried to approach her again and she backed away.
"Don't touch me," she yelled.
"You need to start the antibiotics, the sooner you do, the sooner you'll be well."
"No, no, no," she hissed. "How do I know what's in that? How do I know the government isn't using us as guinea pigs? Maybe we shouldn't even believe the Russians are capable of this."
Lee chose that moment to step forward a little, careful not to crowd her but close enough that she could hear him.
"Believe me, they're quite capable," he said. "And Kelford's right, you need to start treatment, now."
"You!"
Traci looked at him angrily, accusingly.
"She's the reason we're all getting sick. They told me! They said she's sick. Your partner infected us all, every single member of our class."
"No," Lee spoke up. "My partner was infected the same way you were. Unknowingly."
"Liar!"
"Why would Amanda risk infecting her own two sons," Lee asked her. "That wouldn't make any sense."
"I think you're all a bunch of liars and I am not staying in this building. I'm not going to stay here and just wait to die."
With that, Traci turned away from them and began running down the corridor as fast as she could. She didn't get very far.
Two masked guards approached her from the other direction, apparently called for by a bystander.
The panicked young woman whirled about, attempting to run back in the direction she had come from.
Instead of escape, she found herself barricaded in by Dr. Phaff and Yusef. Seeing that that route was not going to work, she whirled around again.
This time she found herself pinned up against the wall by Francine Desmond.
"Look," Francine instructed the younger woman in a very nasal and congested voice that clearly showed her irritation. "Get a grip, chick!"
"My God, she's got it too! We're all going to die, we're going to die!"
Francine rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Do I look like I'm dead to you? Now, shut up and go get your shots like a good little girl. You're giving me a headache."
With that, Francine took the trembling girl by the arm and shoved her towards Kelford.
"Good Lord," Francine mumbled, "you can't even get any peace when you're ill around here."
With that, Desmond turned around and walked back into the room that she'd been resting in and plopped down on the bed, coughing as she did so.
Lee followed her into the room, grinning at her.
"Tactful, very tactful," he told her.
Francine shrugged.
"Tact is not my strong point when I do not feel good," she replied.
"So I've noticed. Now, be a good girl and go back to sleep," Lee told her.
"Can it," Francine told him. "Billy probably needs my help, I should be up there, not here."
"You aren't in any condition to help anyone, yet," Lee told her. "Maybe later."
Francine stuck her tongue out at him, then watched as Lee looked at Amanda, who had slept through the entire disturbance.
"How bad is it?" Francine asked.
Lee turned to look at her, pausing for a moment as he contemplated his response.
"Depends on your definition of bad," Lee answered with a shrug.
Chapter 39
PART 2
Jeannie Melrose made her way through the Agency to Billy's office. She had felt the need to check on him; to just simply be with him for a few moments within all of the chaos that she knew would be wearing on her dear husband's nerves.
She found him, in his office. The blinds were pulled down and almost all of the lights were off, except for one little desk lamp. Her husband was sitting on the couch.
"Hello there," she told him as she closed the door behind her.
Billy rubbed his eyes and sat up straighter, trying to give her the impression that he was all right.
Jeannie knew better, even before she sat down and joined him on the couch.
"How are you doing?"
She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it lightly.
"Better, now that you're here," he replied.
"Silly old man," Jeannie told him. "Now, do I get an honest answer?"
"Oh, just your typical day at the office. I feel lousy, I've got a lot of men in black suits wanting answers, I don't have much to work with, and, by the way, have I told you that we've been all exposed to the plague?"
Jeannie slapped his arm lightly.
Billy looked at her and gave her an attempted smile.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. Reminds me of all the nights I sat up with our sick children."
Billy frowned.
"Probably more times alone than should have been."
"Hey, you've got an important job to do. I've always known that."
Billy turned to face his wife and then reached over and touched her cheek.
"Maybe, once this is all over, you and I should take a nice long vacation."
"I'd like that very much," Jeannie answered him. "You just tell me where and when."
"I'd like to know that myself. Jeannie?"
"Yes?"
"Dr. Smyth passed away earlier today. I've only passed that information on to Lee. I don't need to create any more panic around here than there already is."
"That puts our vacation on hold a while longer," she stated. "But we'll get through this William, we always do. I'm sorry."
"Funny, I just always assumed that he'd be around longer than the rest of us. Causing a major headache every chance he got. Do you know what the sad part is?"
"No."
"I've known Austin a long, long time. I know what he gave up in his own life, to focus on his career. He loved what he did. He took it to heart, married the job, he gave up a lot of things along the road. Sometimes I wonder, sometimes I think that maybe they're
right."
"Who?"
"The ones who wrote the book. To do this job, for as long as he did and to do it right, maybe we should give up our personal lives completely."
"Billy Melrose, you listen to me," Jeannie looked at him directly. "Each and every one of you has to do what's right individually. Austin lived his life as he thought he needed to."
"Doesn't seem fair that a man who lived his life to serve his country should be victim of this. If he had known Jeannie, if he had known that he was carrying something deadly and endangering others."
"Stop," she insisted.
"I can't. I've got work to do."
Billy stood up, stretching his back and rolling his head to work out the kinks.
"I should go check on Amanda, I promised Lee that I would take very good care of her."
"How are she and Francine doing?"
"Francine seems to be bouncing back a little. Exhausted, but still too contrary to stay down for long."
"Amanda?"
"She's still running a very high fever. Kelford said that not everyone will respond as quickly to the antibiotics."
"I don't want any more deaths on our hands. As it is, Mrs. Marsten's nephew took her in to the ER this morning. The NSC has had two deaths, another agent who worked closely with Meyers is pretty bad, and I'm sure I have a status report waiting for my attention from the others."
"It could have been worse," Jeannie told him gently.
"It's still too early to tell," Billy reminded her.
CHAPTER 40
Part 1
When Lee Stetson had told her that it was bad, Francine thought that she'd been prepared for anything that he might say. When he told her, on a strict need-to-know basis that Dr. Smyth had passed away, she realized that she hadn't been prepared.
Sure, the man had always annoyed the hell out of just about everyone, and she, like everyone else, had secretly wished that he'd take a long vacation or two throughout the year. In fact, Francine had always wanted his vacations to last about six months each in duration.
But, the man's dying because of his exposure to a deadly disease had not been one of the plans to keep him out of her hair.
Inhaling deeply, she decided that the best course of action was not to think about it. There was an entire vault in the back of her mind where she stored such things, the things that agents witness or do in the field, for their jobs and for their country. For now, she was going to store this there as well.
After insisting to Lee that she couldn't just stay in bed and do absolutely nothing, he had handed her the package that he had received from TP. She might feel lousy and she might not really want to get out of that bed for very long, but she was still capable of
reading and thinking.
Her wanting out of the room had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she wanted to give Lee a little privacy with Amanda. Not that the two of them were going to get themselves into the sort of trouble that she, Francine Desmond of the good timing department, had the uncanny ability to always be walking into.
But still, she had thought it would be polite if she vacated the room and left Lee to worry about his partner without having an audience. It was bad enough to have most of your life under scrutiny when it came to security checks in this business. And Lee and Amanda were actually crazy enough to attempt having a personal relationship in
the middle of it all.
Francine supposed that love did, indeed, make one do really strange things.
She also had the Desmond persona to uphold. She might actually care about her friends, but she still wasn't willing to allow too many people a visual of that.
Francine Desmond still knew how to work a little whine and complain to get what she wanted and so Doctor Kelford had finally opened up the little patient consultation office across the hallway to keep her happy.
And so, she settled in at the chair and wrapped the blanket around her.
Then she picked up Lee's package, determined to do something useful today, no matter how insignificant it might be.
CHAPTER 40
Part 2
Lee had sat down in the chair next to Amanda's bed, content to just watch her sleep for the moment. The steady rise and fall of her chest beneath the blanket was reassuring to his worried mind. She still looked far too pale, in his opinion, and he could tell just from looking at her face that she was still running a temperature.
He hoped those antibiotics kicked in quickly. He needed his partner back, but, most importantly, he needed his wife by his side as well.
As quietly as he could, he began to fill out his PWS forms, wishing that Amanda were here to fill his in. Even he had to admit that his writing on a good day was something that needed a course or two in hieroglyphics to translate into meaningful English. Still, he tried his best to make it legible while running the course of the last week over in his mind. Lee knew how important it was not to miss anyone.
While reviewing one page to make sure that he had not missed anything, he cleared his throat. It was still sore and he still had a headache and felt a little congested but he didn't seem to be feeling much worse than he had earlier in the day. With any luck, a
few hours of good sleep and the continuation of Kelford's magical drugs would kick this particular nasty before it got any worse.
If only they had been that lucky with Amanda. She'd had far too long a period of time with the virus in her system, and he didn't care what the doctors said or didn't say. It had only been five months since he'd nearly lost her to that gunshot wound. To him, that now seemed like far too close a span of time to be considered a non-factor in the equation.
Unable to resist, despite the fact that he had work to do, Lee placed his clipboard and paperwork down on the stand and moved to sit on the bed next to her.
His hand was caressing the warm skin of her cheek before he even realized it. Tenderly, his fingers slid across her flesh, wanting nothing more than to stroke away this misery, to banish it away without no memory, except that he could not, for he was nothing more than a mortal man with no glorious powers or magic.
She stirred slightly under his touch and he was rewarded with the sight of her beautiful dark eyes opening up. At the sight of him, she smiled and he felt somewhat better.
"Hey there," he told her.
"Hi," she managed to whisper.
"How are you feeling?"
Amanda took a moment, licking her parched lips with her tongue. Lee, of course, immediately moved to get her a glass of water, which she drank slowly but completely.
"Better," he asked her.
She nodded.
"It helps," she said.
Lee placed the now empty glass down on the stand beside the bed, then moved to pull Amanda into his arms. She snuggled against him, allowing him to hold her as tightly as he wanted.
For a few moment they stayed that way, she content to be next to the man that she loved, he content to hold her slender body next to his.
"Lee," she finally whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Tell me what's going on."
"You're sick," he told her, hoping that it would be enough of an answer but knowing that it wouldn't satisfy her.
"Jeannie's here. Francine's sick. When we came in," she began.
"Hey, you don't need to concern yourself with all of that. You need to rest."
"Lee, I know what I saw," Amanda told him.
She looked up at him, her dark eyes clearly showing him that she had a need to know and that she wouldn't let up until she did know.
And Lee, who looked down at her sweet face and those beautiful dark eyes that had always been so full of trust and love for him, knew that he had no right to keep her in the dark.
She was his partner, his best friend, and his wife and even though he wanted nothing more than to protect her from all of the evils in the world, he knew that she had every right to be told what was going on. He couldn't protect her from this and it wasn't right to try and shelter her from it. Not when he knew how much was as stake, not when he knew that he now not only had her well being to be concerned about but that of her children as well.
And he was going to have to get their whereabouts from her, because, if he wanted to be the husband that she deserved, if he wanted to uphold every vow that they had pledged, then he was going to have to find her children.
The only way to do that was to tell his very beautiful and very sick wife exactly what was going on. He would have to tell her why she was sick, how she had gotten sick, and then, the man that loved her more than anything was going to have to shatter her heart when he told her that she may have exposed her children to this.
CHAPTER 41
Warning: The following chapter may not suitable for those with weak stomachs.
I really tried hard to convey a lot of things in this chapter, so please let me know your opinion. This is probably one of the hardest ones in the entire story. There's a couple more, similar to this, coming later, and your comments on this one might help improve those.
Thanks so much ladies!
CHAPTER 41
Lee pressed a gentle kiss against his wife's forehead.
"Lee?"
He knew he had to tell her, he only hoped that he had enough strength to hold her up when everything came crashing down around her. Lee wasn't sure how to tell her, he didn't know if he had the words. Expressing things had never been his strong point, actions rather than words seemed to suit him far more appropriately.
"Amanda, do you remember when Doneck injected me with the PD-2 virus?"
She nodded.
"Well, it seems that someone decided to go back to the lab."
"This is PD-2?"
"Yes and no," Lee responded. "It's the same germ or whatever they call it. But it's been altered, differently than what PD-2 was."
Amanda's mouth dropped open a little and her eyes widened. But, not a word came out.
"They think that the Russians somehow managed to infect someone in attendance of the initial ATAC meeting. Greg Meyers."
"He's the one that didn't show for the meetings, right?"
Lee nodded.
"There were representatives from every intel group at that meeting. That's how it started."
"And that's what I have," her voice wavered slightly.
"Yes," Lee sighed and then hugged her a little closer to him. "You, Francine, and I don't know for sure how many others."
"But how? I wasn't at that meeting," Amanda reminded him. "I hardly helped you, I was here the whole time. Lee, how?"
"Smyth was exposed to it. You and Francine encountered him the other evening, when you were leaving work."
Amanda coughed against his chest, shaking her head.
"I don't understand," she told him.
"Manda, Smyth was contagious at that point."
She raised her face to look at him, her eyes resembling dark liquid pools.
"They barely got an antidote in time," she whispered. "Lee?"
He felt her tremble against him; he registered the unasked question in her voice.
"According to McJohn, early treatment of pneumonic plague with antibiotics can reduce the chance of death. McJohn knows his stuff; you and I both know that. You'll be fine in no time."
"And if he's wrong," she managed to ask, her words sounding hesitant, her voice sounding frightened.
"Hey," Lee told her as he placed a hand under her chin to tip her face up.
"He wasn't wrong then. I'm still here baby, I'm still here."
He watched Amanda carefully, he saw the way she tried so hard to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill. At one time, Lee had thought that the slender young woman he'd chosen from among all those people walking about at the train station couldn't have possessed half the amount of courage he had long ago discovered to
exist. She was, in her own words, a lot stronger than she looked.
But, right now, she was sick, she was running a fever, and she was scared. And, despite her best attempts, the tears were slowly running down her cheeks, leaving a wet path as they dropped downward.
"Hush, baby," he whispered soothingly as he cradled her against him. "Please don't cry. Manda, please don't cry."
"I'm scared," she sniffled.
"I know," Lee told her.
"Can they stop this?"
"An entire Magna Alpha, double red has been issued. Every intel group has instigated an isolation procedure. Colonel McJohn has teams on it. The President has been advised and authorized any needed manpower."
"But this, this is one of those bio," Amanda coughed, "terrorists attacks."
"Unofficially, yes."
"Unofficially? From what you're saying they've released this, Lee," Amanda paused to cough again. "Just how far has this spread?"
"We're not sure. I'm not sure. I've been down here for awhile, with you. When I go back up to Billy's office, I may know more."
"Jeannie's here."
Lee nodded. "She was already potentially exposed, through Billy. She wasn't willing to just sit at home and do nothing. She offered to help. She promised me that she'd keep an eye on you."
"If Jeannie was exposed," Amanda began. "Lee, the boys?"
"Have also been potentially exposed."
Amanda sat up straighter in the bed, her hands clenching on his shoulders.
"My babies? They've been exposed to this?"
"Hey, hey," he tried to calm her. "Potentially. We don't know for sure."
"My babies, oh my God, Lee," Amanda sobbed. "My babies."
Amanda dropped her head onto his shoulder, alternating between coughing and sobbing.
"Oh my God," she cried softly. "I gave this to them."
Lee pulled away from her and then gently cupped her face in his hands.
"We don't know that for sure, sweetheart."
"Please," she sobbed. "Please Lee, not my babies, please."
"Manda, I will make sure that they're brought in. But to do that, you need to tell me exactly where they are. I need to know exactly where they went on vacation."
"The lake, they went to the lake. They're in the middle of nowhere," she whispered.
"Okay, okay. Tell me where Amanda, where?"
Instead of being able to answer him, she was overtaken by a coughing fit. A horrible coughing fit that had her dropping back down against his chest and allowed Lee to feel the rattling in her chest that accompanied it.
She couldn't seem to stop, no matter how much he told her to calm down.
"Manda," he told her as he rubbed her back gently.
"Ssh, sweetheart, come on baby, calm down."
Jeannie Melrose had chosen that moment to walk into the door of the room and was horrified to see that Lee was holding Amanda against him as the younger woman all but seemed to be coughing her lungs up. She quickly turned and raced into Kelford's office, summoning his assistance.
By the time she returned to the room, only a few steps ahead of Kelford, who had paused to grab a bag of supplies, Amanda was alternating between hysterical sobs and fighting to catch her breath. Lee looked horrified, as he held her, apparently making no
headway in his efforts to pacify her.
Kelford entered the room just in time to see Jeannie's quick thinking place a plastic basin in front of Amanda just before she began throwing up.
None of them noticed Francine Desmond come to stand in the doorway, holding the information that had been in the packet for Lee.
She watched in horror as her coworker and friend seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. She noted the panicked expression on Lee's face as well as Jeannie's.
And then Francine Desmond turned and ran back into the little office that she had been sitting in and closed the door behind her. She stood there for a few seconds, her back against the door. As frightened tears began to work down her cheeks she slowly slid down until she was on the floor. She brought her knees up to her chest and allowed herself to cry.
It was something that Francine hardly ever allowed herself to do. It was also something that she couldn't have stopped, even if she had wanted to.
People were sick and people were dying and she was helpless to stop it. And she was going to admit, just this once, that she was good and scared.
Scared to death.